Re-Registration Reminder

This is a gentle reminder to all PPN member groups if you haven't replied to the Leitrim PPN re-registration e-mail to please do so, so that our database of community and voluntary, social inclusion & environmental groups is up to date.
Thank You!

National PPN Workers Meeting

Leitrim PPN staff attended a National Workers Meeting on 29th June in Dublin - meeting with Department officials and workers nationally to network, discuss Department updates and upcoming Conference.

National Conference takes place on 5th & 6th Oct at the Arklow Bay Hotel.  More details later.

Do you have an event coming up?

Let us know & we will spread the word to the PPN groups in Leitrim!  Give us the date, time and where the event is happening, include a poster if you have one. E-mail: info@leitrimppn.ie.

Love Where You Live

Love Where You Live 2023 is run jointly by Leitrim County Council and Leitrim Public Participation Network (PPN).

These are community awards recognising the huge contribution of Community Groups, Schools, Resident Associations and Heritage Groups in making Leitrim a better place to live, work and visit.

Awards will be given in each Municipal area (Carrick, Ballinamore, Manorhamilton)  in the following categories:-

Sponsored by Leitrim County Council

Cleaner and Greener Award for Tidy Towns groups

Best Kept Estate Award

Primary School Award

Heritage Award

Sponsored by Leitrim PPN

Social Inclusion Award

Community Resilience Award

 

There was huge interest this year and we have had to shortlist.

Those shortlisted were visited last week for judging.

Leitrim PPN wish you  all the best of luck. Thanks to Paul Clabby from Roscommon County Council for assisting the PPN with judging. 

The awards ceremony is on Wed 27th Sept in The Landmark Hotel, Carrick on Shannon.  More details at a later date.

Leitrim's Climate Action Plan 2024 Meeting Open to all PPN Members

You are invited to attend Leitrim’s Climate Action Plan 2024: Meeting open to all PPN members
Wed 12th July 7.30 pm Leitrim Development Company Offices, 2 Church St, Drumshanbo N41 RF24.
Marie Mulligan from Leitrim County Council will attend and give an update on Leitrim’s Climate Action Plan.
This is a great opportunity to engage with the Council, to hear the views that PPN members have been submitting and to help shape the county’s Climate Action Plan.
Every member is free to attend even if you have not been at any of the Linkage Group meetings so far.

 

Consideration  of submissions regarding Leitrim’s Climate Action Plan 2024 – all welcome to attend especially if you attended this Linkage group meeting before.

 

Agenda:

 

• Welcome to any new participants
• Reminder of conclusions on Session 1, 2
• Update from Marie Mulligan, Leitrim County Council  on Leitrim’s Climate Action Plan 2024 and opportunity for general feedback on the Climate Action Discussion Document (previously sent to all members)
• Summary of submissions received by 23rd June by Leitrim PPN
• Feedback from GEAI (Ballinaglera) consultation meeting
• Conclusions

Nominate a Charity

There are two more chances for your favourite charity to be drawn for a £1,000 donation. The next draws are September and December so there’s time to get the cause you support in the running. Share with your networks to get as many nominations as you can! 

The third special draw will be announced in just a few weeks’ time – keep an eye out for the type of charities The Movement for Good Awards will be supporting with 10 x £5,000 donations.

Remember – it’s one nomination per charity, per person so if you have more than one favourite to support, you can!

The Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability 

The Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability is available to assist in the carrying out of works which are reasonably necessary for the purposes of rendering a house more suitable for the accommodation of a person with a disability who has an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual impairment. 

Animal Welfare Grants Programme 2023 Open

Application forms are available via email from: welfaregrants@agriculture.gov.ie

All applicants must be registered with the Charities Regulator and be in existence for over two years.

Deadline: 21st July 2023.

€9 million funding for Improved access for students with an intellectual disability

The funding falls under phase 2 of PATH 4 of the National Access Plan which highlighted the need to improve and increase representation in higher education for students with a disability including students with autism and students with intellectual disabilities.

LGBTI+ Community Services Fund 

€900,000 is being made available to applicant groups, operating at national, regional and local level, to support community services and promote visibility and inclusion of LGBTI+
people.
The 2023 LGBTI+ Community Services Funding Call is an important element in supporting the implementation of the National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy, which was published
on 28 November 2019, and complements the National LGBTI+ Youth Strategy published in June 2018.
There are two streams of funding;
• Scheme A will support new initiatives but is also open to applications from existing
LGBTI+ NGOs for funding to maintain and enhance existing services and initiatives.
This will assist these organisations build capacity and maintain existing and well established LGBTI+ supports.
• Scheme B will provide small grants to organisations for projects that promote visibility and inclusion of LGBTI+ persons.
All applications must be submitted electronically.
Deadline: 26 July 2023.

Leitrim has been awarded €22,464

The investment goes into forest parks, trails, play areas, carparks and toilet facilities.

Over €170,000 has been awarded to the Shannonside region for the development of forest parks, walking trails and outdoor amenities.

The funds are part of a 3 million euro grant from the Department of Rural and Community Development.

The aim of the supports is to deliver upgrades and improvements to facilities on Coillte lands including amenities in Leitrim.

New farm safety measures aim to reduce risk on farms

The measure will provide a financial contribution to participating farmers covering 60% of the eligible cost of quad bike helmets and Power Take Off (PTO) shaft covers. A total of €1.5m has been allocated to the measure.

The maximum amount of aid under the measure is for two quad bike (ATV) helmets and four PTO shaft covers.

The grant aid will be at a rate of 60% subject to a maximum eligible cost of €100 per PTO shaft cover and €150 per quad bike (ATV) helmet.
Deadline: 29th September 2023.

PEACEPLUS Funding Calls Issued - See Deadlines Below

Any nonprofit organisation actively working to promote cohesion between these communities can apply for funding to deliver projects that address the PEACEPLUS programme’s objectives and priorities. The open calls for proposals include: 

• Investment Area 1.4 - Re-Imaging Communities – Deadline: 7/9/2023.
• Investment Area 3.1 - Shared Learning Together Education in Non-Formal Settings – Deadline: 7/9/2023.
• Investment Area 3.1 - Shared Learning Together Education in Formal Settings – Deadline: 7/9/2023.
• Investment Area 3.2 - PEACEPLUS Youth Programme – Deadline: 10/8/2023.
• Investment Area 3.3 - Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing – Deadline: 12/9/2023.  

FAI welcomes funding for women and girls' football.

Up to €500,000 will be earmarked for Grassroots girls' programmes, adult women recreational football and women in football leadership programmes.

Passport Design Public Survey

The Department of Foreign Affairs is currently exploring design options to feature in the next Irish passport, which will be released in the coming years.

The department would like to get the public’s input on choosing aspects of Ireland’s diverse natural environment, particularly our flora and fauna, to help shape a key part of the passport design.

Theatre Forum Audience Insights Survey

The Glens Centre, a space of artistic incubation, generation and production, in partnership with The Theatre Forum and a group of theatres, art centres, venues, concert halls and other organisations nationwide, is working on a survey to understand more about their audiences. 

The Glens Centre aims to discover what their audience thinks of them as an organisation and their interest in attending cultural events in Leitrim. 

The organisation organised a survey operated by Indigo Ltd. - all responses are anonymous. Any personal information will not be shown. 

Leitrim PPN are happy to share this survey for its PPN member.

Ireland's Private Residential Rental Sector

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage are currently commissioning a comprehensive review of the private rental sector in Ireland and are encouraging the public to give their views, experiences and perspectives on the private rental sector in Ireland.

This review will take into account the significant regulatory changes over the past several years in the residential rental market. It will draw conclusions on how our housing system can be enhanced to provide an efficient, affordable, viable, safe and secure framework for both landlords and tenants.
Deadline: 26th July.

Ocean Literacy Survey

Fair Seas has launched its first Ocean Literacy Survey, to
find out how well people in Ireland know the waters around
us and how they use them. The coalition of leading
environmental NGOs and networks has launched the
ambitious research online and is asking people from all
sectors to share their views. Ocean literacy is the
understanding of our individual and collective impact on the
ocean and its impact on our lives and wellbeing. Fair Seas is
asking people to complete an online survey, answering
questions about the health of Ireland’s marine environment,
how they use the seas and what actions they believe the Irish
government needs to be taking to manage this environment.

Drumshanbo Narrow Gauge Trail

Leitrim County Council proposes to create a pedestrian crossing on Dowra Rd (R207). Upgrade unused narrow gauge railway to a walking/cycle trail. Create an uncontrolled pedestrian crossing on Convent Avenue and a new trail to join railway line to the Ballinamore Rd (R208).

Submission can be made until 4.00pm on Friday 4th August 2023.
Please name the submission: "Drumshanbo Narrow Gauge Trail - Part 8."

Waterways Ireland Public Consultation

Waterways Ireland is changing how they protect, develop and increase recreation on the inland waterways.
The changes are focused on:

• Better water quality.
  
• Reversing biodiversity loss.
• Health and safety for those on and off the water.
• Measures to ensure increased accessibility to and less congestion on the waterways.
• Better management of the waterways through annual registration fees and oermits.
• Further development of waterways.

Call for Urgent Reform of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)

Nationally there are: 

 

- 11,000 children and young people currently awaiting appointments for primary care psychology; and

 

-4,500 children and young people waiting for first-time CAMHS appointments  

 

The mental health commission has reported serious concerns about the poorly resourced and inadequate services offered by CAMHS. The HSE has acknowledged the deficits and issued an apology. 

 

However, nothing has changed and Families for reform of CAMHS are trying to raise awareness and support for change.

Bug Hunt

It's that time of year - you and your little explorers might enjoy a bug hunt around your garden or local park!

Mental Health and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Join Mental Health Reform (MHR) at an online webinar to learn about your rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

The UNCRPD is a United Nations document that sets out a series of rights and principles. People who have mental health difficulties have rights under this Convention.

MHR is holding two lunchtime online events in July for people with mental health difficulties, their family members, friends and carers to learn about how to advocate for their rights under the UNCRPD.

The aim of the training is to

1. inform participants about their rights under the UNCRPD;
2. support them to engage in self-advocacy;
3. and to learn about national and local processes, policies and legislative change.

Registration for the webinars is free but essential. Please also let us know if you have any accessibility requirements.

Session 1: 18th July, 12:30pm – 2pm

Session 2: 25th July, 4:30pm – 6pm

Contact Ber Grogan on bgrogan@mentalhealthreform.ie for more info.

Support for Young People with Social Anxiety from National Learning Network

A discussion and information webinar on how specialist training provider, National Learning Network can support people living with social anxiety to overcome mental health challenges, get an education and fulfil their career goals in a supported environment. 

Help Our Hedgegrows

Hedgerows are rich in biodiversity and protecting them helps
wildlife, and ultimately is good for farming. Hedgerows
Ireland is excited to announce the launch of a new all-Ireland
hedgerow conservation campaign—the Hedge Code. The
Hedge Code helps you plant, retain and rejuvenate your
hedgerows – part of Ireland’s natural heritage – vital for our
health, well-being and wildlife! There are 12 actions in total.
Anyone with a hedgerow is encouraged to become a Hedge
Code supporter, including garden owners, farmers,
businesses, sports clubs, Residents Associations, and
County Councils. This will publicly demonstrate commitment
to hedgerow conservation in Ireland and help to frame
biodiversity strategies.

Meet the Builder

The Retrofit Ready team will be in the Rainbow Ballroom, Glenfarne on July 19th at 5pm to provide you with information on SEAI grants for home energy upgrades.

There will be an opportunity to meet with Retrofit Contractors and Suppliers (Insulation, Solar/PV, Heat pumps) on the evening.

For more information, please contact Kyle Flynn at Kyle@ldco.ie or phone 086 1686203.

Manorhamilton’s Western Button Factory Talk & Craft Workshop

At 7pm on Monday evening, July 10th the Bee Park Community Centre will be the venue for what will be an interesting talk on the history of the Manorhamilton Button Factory, which offered a new opportunity for employment outside of the home to many local women from the 1930s onward.

The talk is titled “The Western Button Company: The story of button manufacturing in Manorhamilton from 1937 to 1972.” It will be delivered by local historian and member of the Manorhamilton and District Historical Society, Maureen Keaney.

Afterwards Maureen's talk will be followed by an engaging craft workshop with artist Mary Foley at 8pm, which will feature the use of some original Western Button Company buttons made in Manorhamilton in the past.

The talk and workshop is taking place under the auspices of the “Leitrim Women Through Time” project.

All are welcome to both of these free events, and no advance booking is required. For further information, people can contact the project via email at scealheritage@gmail.com, via phone at 071 98 56220.

Fundraising Volunteers needed STEP WEST MOBILITY FUNDRAISING

Step West Mobility Fundraising; are seeking volunteers to join in a fundraising event over the August bank holiday weekend. They need Bucket Collectors for Friday, Sat and Sun, 4th, 5th and 6th Aug. Fundraising will take place from 10 am to 5 pm around the Quays area of Carrick-on-Shannon. Whatever time you can commit would be most welcome. A permit has been obtained for this fundraising activity. 

Irish Rail providing Free Sensory Support Pack

For anyone that isn't aware Irish Rail have launched a great initiative for adults and children with additional sensory challenges.  They will provide a free sensory support pack which includes a black canvas tote bag, ear defenders, a fidget spinner, sunglasses and a visual/ social story for going on the train. You can apply for a free pack by emailing access@irishrail.ie.

Leitrim Big Brother Big Sister Programme

The Leitrim Big Brother Big Sister Programme is recruiting male and female volunteers to become mentors to young people aged 10 to 18 years. Full training and support provided to volunteers. For further information contact Elaine.granaghan@foroige.ie or 086 0497089.